1. Field of the Invention
This invention is in the field of portable electroplating wherein a brass or copper anode is covered with a fluid absorptive sleeve which has been immersed in an electrolyte and then an electroplating current is applied between the brass or copper anode and the workpiece to therby deposit a plating at selected areas of the workpiece.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
The present invention represents an improvement over the type of method described and claimed in my previous U.S. Pat. No. 3,746,627. In this patent, there is described a method of metal electroplating for depositing a localized plating on an electrically conductive portable member. The workpiece to be plated was removably positioned on an electrically conductive current carrying cathode bar. The contact area to be plated was rubbed with a plating electrolytecarrier to wet the area with the electrolyte and build up a plated layer thereon.
The present invention may utilize the type of method and apparatus described in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,746,627 but makes use of an improved electrolyte. Heretofore, electrolytes for portable plating frequently used corrosive materials such as sulfuric acid, sodium or potassium hydroxide, sodium or potassium cyanides, and the like. The use of such hazardous chemicals made it necessary to provide safeguards for operating personnel to prevent contact with the chemicals. It was also necessary to use specialized, expensive containers for handling and shipping the chemicals which necessarily increased the cost. Since many of these materials also gave off noxious fumes, pollution control of the atmosphere was a problem.